Buccini/Pollin confirms Queen will remain a live music venue

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The Buccini/Pollin Group confirmed Tuesday night that  The  Queen will continue to provide live entertainment in downtown Wilmington. 

“As was communicated earlier today, World Café Live is stepping down as manager of The Queen, located at 500 N. Market Street in Downtown Wilmington, DE, as of May 25th of this year,” a release from the company stated.

The release continued,  “Thereafter, the live event space will be known simply as “The Queen” and will remain one of the region’s most exciting venues for experiencing live music and hosting private events. This announcement confirms that the Queen Theater will remain the live music venue and community clubhouse that it was always envisioned to be,” with current operator World Cafe Live exiting the venue in late May.

“The Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. (BPG), would like to join the community in thanking The World Café Live for being a catalyst of change to the City of Wilmington and bringing live music and performances to The Queen for the past six years,” the release stated. 

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The release continued,  “Thereafter, the live event space will be known simply as “The Queen” and will remain one of the region’s most exciting venues for experiencing live music and hosting private events. This announcement confirms that the Queen Theater will remain the live music venue and community clubhouse that it was always envisioned to be.” 

After sitting vacant for 45 years, The Queen Theater reopened after a $25 million restoration under the management of Hal Real and  the  World Café Live management team. 

“The renewed venue signaled an exciting benchmark for the Downtown Wilmington revitalization process.  The Light Up the Queen Foundation (“LUQ”) has been instrumental in creating The Queen, the culture that has emerged within its walls, and in leading community-driven programming.  BPG and LUQ are appreciative Hal Real’s vision, recognizing that The Queen theater could not have been reborn without Hal’s diligence in achieving his vision and his passion for live music,”  the release stated. 

The release  added  that BPG  “expects to expand on this announcement in the very near future with exciting new developments, and goes further to say that it assures the City of Wilmington and Queen regulars that The Queen Theater is here to stay, namesake and all.”

BPG  Co-President Chris Buccini stated, “BPG is committed to the long-term success of this entertainment venue.  We understand how important the venue is to the downtown community, to the city, and to all of those who have worked so hard to make Wilmington a destination for the arts and entertainment.”                                                                                                                     

The Buccini/Pollin Group, Inc. is a privately held, integrated real estate acquisition, development and management company with offices in Washington DC, Wilmington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Buccini/Pollin has developed and acquired hotel, office, residential, retail, and parking properties throughout the United States.

The announcement followed an initial report by Delawareonline.com  about World Cafe Live exiting the theater  with no mention of  The Queen remaining open.

The story was quickly updated to state that a new operator would come on board. This came after the City of  Wilmington issued a statement reporting that The Queen would remain open. 

A  social media  post  from World Cafe Live cited an  inability to make a go of  venue as a reason for the departure. 

Click here for the previous story. 

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